


gimme some gimme some gimme some time

by roguefembot



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Kissing, Romance, also it's plot relevant lmao, chuuves is background and 2jin is more just mentioned, i p much did whatever i wanted with the timeline of events, it's just kissing, negl this story has more kissing than the prev ones i've written but don't worry, technically takes place in our world but only technically
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-07
Updated: 2019-07-07
Packaged: 2020-06-24 04:00:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,338
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19715806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roguefembot/pseuds/roguefembot
Summary: As it turns out, fake dating Hyejoo involves a lot of confusing interactions. One minute she’ll be teasing Chaewon about how fat Bbomi looks in the picture she’s set as her phone wallpaper, and the next she’ll be wordlessly sliding her side dishes across the table so Chaewon can take her pick as they eat.(or, Chaewon proposes practice dating and Hyejoo is a little too good of a girlfriend for it NOT to be confusing)





	gimme some gimme some gimme some time

**Author's Note:**

> hey, y'all! i'm back! and this took forever to write! lmao. i think i just wanted to write hyewon being Soft girlfriends, so please enjoy!!!
> 
> (also disclaimer that, as always, this is entirely a work of fiction)

The idea occurs to Chaewon, as all of her least thought-out ideas do, while she’s listening to Sooyoung complain about her latest “breakup” with Jiwoo. Chaewon considers this conditional, of course, because Sooyoung and Jiwoo are constantly on and off, often going on breaks that Sooyoung then laments as if they’re never going to get back together.

(They always do, for the record.)

This particular time, whatever reason they broke up has Sooyoung on a kick about the importance of couples prioritizing each other, how nice it is to have that one person to trust and rely on always, to have someone to hold your hand and watch scary movies with and join you in dorky dances.

“Like what I have with Hyejoo, you mean?” she asks distractedly, eyebrows furrowed as she unwittingly interrupts what would otherwise be a much longer diatribe.

Sooyoung sighs loudly. “That’s friendship; it’s different.”

“How so?” Chaewon prompts before Sooyoung can resume and she’s forced to finally tune out one of her best friends.

“Couples do stuff friends don’t do, I guess. It’s more of a partnership.” After a pause, Sooyoung breaks into something between a smirk and a genuine smile. “It’s more fun too, and I don’t even mean that as an innuendo.”

If she’s being completely honest, Chaewon’s never really thought about dating before. At least not beyond the superficial considerations of her friends’ relationships; certainly not anything as personal as dating for _herself_. The moment she decided she wanted to be an idol, she knew it was probably off the table and so she boxed it off in her own mind, shelving even the contemplation of it for later. Even when some of the other girls in the group decided to ignore the dating rule, Chaewon kept her mental box intact.

Her face must be a little too blank, because then Sooyoung is scoffing and rolling her eyes.

“You’ll get it when you’re older, Chaewon-ah,” she mocks.

Chaewon, for her part, laughs and shoves at Sooyoung’s shoulder.

“Whatever, Sooyoung-unnie,” she says, but it’s already too late. The box has fallen off the shelf, and now Chaewon is _contemplating_.

-

“Okay, what’s going on?” Hyejoo demands, pausing their game of Mario Kart the next day. “You keep staring at me with a weird look on your face and you’re in last place.”

Admittedly, Chaewon has been a bit spacey and distracted all day long, but that’s because hanging out with Sooyoung is a mistake that plants extraterrestrial seeds in her poor brain.

Hyejoo’s bluntness is startling enough to freeze said brain, and in the brief moment before it can reboot, Chaewon blurts, “We should practice dating each other.”

The seeds, apparently, yield very impulsive, very stupid fruit.

Hyejoo’s mouth drops open. “What?!”

It’s enough to send Chaewon into a tailspin of panic. “I-I mean… Yesterday Sooyoungie was complaining about her latest breakup with Jiwoo-unnie and she kept talking about the things couples do together and I realized we already do most of them so I don’t see why we couldn’t test out the other stuff so that we have experience before we’re, like, thirty and trying dating for the first time?”

Then Chaewon takes several deep, needed breaths as she scans Hyejoo’s frozen face. It takes a good minute before her features scrunch into contemplation.

“So… you’re saying Sooyoung actually complained so much that you lost your mind and now you want me to be your pretend girlfriend?” she asks.

“That’s not what I’m saying!” Chaewon exclaims, offended. “I just thought we could maybe practice together but if you don’t want to, you can just tell me that.”

“I’m not saying I don’t want to,” Hyejoo admits. She chews on her bottom lip for a moment before clarifying, “I just meant… what would practicing even entail?”

Chaewon has not actually gotten this far. Up until this point, her thoughts had mostly been a loop of ‘What ifs’ and ‘Hyejoos,’ so it’s a bit inconvenient that she’s being asked this question without any prep time.

“U-um, I guess go on dates? And hold hands, which we already do, but… uh, differently?”

Hyejoo nods seriously. “And this would be separate from our normal friendship?”

“Yes,” Chaewon says rotely, strangely eager to hurry Hyejoo towards her decision.

Hyejoo nods again, but it’s a bit more resolute this time. She takes a big breath, and then she says, “Okay.”

“Okay,” Chaewon repeats. There is an awkward beat where Hyejoo stares at her like she’s waiting for her to say something else, but her mind went fuzzy the second Hyejoo agreed and now she can’t imagine what else needs to be said.

Finally, Hyejoo cracks, the corner of her mouth tilting upwards. “Wanna start on Saturday night?” she prompts.

“Oh, right!” Chaewon chuckles to mask her embarrassment. “Yeah! Sounds good.”

She wonders if they should shake hands or something, but Hyejoo just laughs at her and starts up the game again.

-

The great thing about pretend dating your best friend, Chaewon realizes, is that you can help each other get ready for the pretend dates. Hyejoo and she have decided to go for the classic dinner date as their first excursion, but due to lack of funds they’ve settled on a mid-priced restaurant within walking distance. As such, they’ve planned to dress somewhere between ‘this is a first date’ and ‘we might be poor.’

“Too dressy,” Hyejoo says, watching Chaewon twirl in front of a mirror while she lounges on the bed.

“Well, yeah, it’s literally a dress,” she shoots back. As she assesses the length of the skirt, she tilts her head and spots Hyejoo doing the same in the mirror.

“You have more casual ones though. Try the white lacey one,” Hyejoo suggests. When Chaewon turns to her with a raised eyebrow, she simply shrugs. “What? I pay attention.”

Chaewon bites her lip to mask her smile. Hyejoo tries to play it off all the time, but her attentiveness is one of Chaewon’s favorite things about her. It’s what makes her such a good friend.

Nodding towards Hyejoo’s own t-shirt and jeans, Chaewon responds, “Speaking of, I was thinking maybe you could wear that silvery blouse? The one with the flower pattern?”

Hyejoo’s nose scrunches. Chaewon breathes out a laugh.

“What?”

“It’s just kind of girly.”

Chaewon feels herself pout. “I like it on you.”

Hyejoo sighs loudly, hauling herself off the bed. “Alright, alright,” she grumbles, “Gotta dress to impress your date I guess.”

The smile that breaks out on Chaewon’s face is unstoppable. Before Hyejoo can shut their closet door, she calls, “And the black slacks!”

“Haven’t even gone on the date yet and you’re already bossing me around. I see how this fake relationship is going to go,” she hears back, and barks out a delighted laugh in response.

-

The moment they step outside the dorm, Chaewon in her cute lacey dress and Hyejoo in Chaewon’s favorite blouse, it hits Chaewon that this is happening. She’s on a date with her best friend.

Okay, it’s a fake date and they’re both fully aware it’s just practice, but still.

Her hands begin to shake.

 _How does one act on a date?_ Chaewon can’t help but wonder. She supposes that usually people try to set their best foot forward and make a good first impression, but Hyejoo had literally flicked a booger off of her face one time, so that was pretty much out of the question.

Her mind is gearing up for a tailspin, she can feel it, and it leaves her clasping her hands together and gnawing on her lower lip.

Hyejoo takes one look at her and bumps their shoulders.

“Hey, it’s just us,” she reminds. “Tell me how far you got last time you played The Last of Us.”

Grateful, but no less whiny, Chaewon responds, “You _know_ that game scares the crap out of me.”

And just like that, Hyejoo’s managed to slot everything back into place.

-

When they’ve finished eating, Chaewon excuses herself from the table to run to the restroom. She makes Hyejoo swear to wait for her if the bill comes. Twice.

When she gets back?

The bill is paid, and Hyejoo looks insufferably smug. Actually, the only reason Chaewon knows the bill is already paid is because Hyejoo looks insufferably smug.

“You swore!” she accuses, pointing her finger at Hyejoo before she’s even sat down.

Hyejoo shrugs, lazy smile still in place. “If this were a real date, I would pay,” she says, and there’s something in her eyes that’s not practiced ease at all.

-

On the walk _to_ the date, the streets had still been densely populated with people trying to get somewhere. On the way back, Hyejoo suggests a shortcut through the park and Chaewon doesn’t see a single person within the boundaries of all the blossoming cherry trees.

Hyejoo must realize this as well, because they’re only a couple steps into the park when Chaewon feels familiar fingers curling around her hand. It’s something they’ve done a thousand times, and yet this time, in this context, it feels like a spark of electricity. Her gaze snaps to Hyejoo, who’s looking forward and very obviously trying to be casual about it.

“Couldn’t hold your hand on the way there ‘cause of the people and… how we’re dressed,” she says by way of explanation. Which implies that she _wanted_ to.

Chaewon flushes pink and tells herself it’s stupid to be so affected by something she and Hyejoo do all the time, that it’s the circumstances of it all playing a trick on her.

-

“This is ordinarily where we would say goodnight,” Chaewon says, standing in front of the door to the dorm while Hyejoo watches her. “But we kind of live together, so…”

“We could act out a goodbye,” Hyejoo suggests. Chaewon can’t help but laugh.

“What, like pretend we’re not about to both cross this threshold?”

“Why not? It’s a pretend date; we can pretend other parts too.”

Chaewon surprises herself by actually contemplating this. “It could be fun,” she decides. Hyejoo grins and steps closer.

“Well,” Hyejoo begins with a theatric voice. “I had a great time.”

Chaewon widens her eyes, embracing the role of a girl smitten with her date. “Me too,” she breathes.

Something in Hyejoo shifts, but Chaewon can’t quite put her finger on it. Her posture changes, somehow, and her voice is quieter when she replies, “So I guess this is goodbye.”

Chaewon nods in an exaggeratedly entranced manner. “I guess it is.”

Hyejoo steps closer again, her gaze flickering from one of Chaewon’s eyes to the other. She nods, seemingly to herself, and then leans forward and kisses Chaewon’s forehead. Chaewon stops breathing, and only realizes afterwards that Hyejoo’s hand is on the back of her neck. Her very much heated neck, at this point.

When Hyejoo steps back, she’s herself again, shyly ducking her head.

“Wanna go play video games?” she asks, turning to unlock the door.

Chaewon does her best not to get emotional whiplash.

-

As it turns out, fake dating Hyejoo involves a _lot_ of those kinds of confusing interactions. One minute she’ll be teasing Chaewon about how fat Bbomi looks in the picture she’s set as her phone wallpaper, and the next she’ll be wordlessly sliding her side dishes across the table so Chaewon can take her pick as they eat.

They’re on their way back from another dinner date where she’d done as much and then finally, blessedly let Chaewon pay when a breeze kicks up strongly and leaves Chaewon shuddering in her spring cardigan. Hyejoo spots her hunched posture and slides her jacket off, carefully wrapping it around Chaewon’s shoulders.

She must be staring a little too peculiarly, because Hyejoo glances at her twice more and then raises an eyebrow. “What?”

“It just occurs to me, _jagi_ , that you might make a better fake girlfriend than friend,” Chaewon teases, adopting a sickly-sweet tone as she pronounces the pet name.

Hyejoo rolls her eyes. “Maybe I’m just awesome at everything I do.”

“Our last three Mario Kart tournaments beg to differ,” Chaewon says, sliding her arms into the sleeves of Hyejoo’s jacket before the girl can take it back out of spite. It’s still warm from Hyejoo’s body heat.

“You are _so_ gonna eat your words when we get back to the dorm,” Hyejoo warns. Chaewon can’t help but crack a smile at her narrowed eyes.

“Will my pretend girlfriend be spoon-feeding them to me?” she smarts, and then runs away before Hyejoo can grab a hold of her and spin her around the way she knows the taller girl wants to.

-

Hyejoo gets her revenge with a string of victories that night, but because she’s cruel and excessive, the punishment extends into their next practice date. Technically speaking, Chaewon was the one to propose a movie date, but Hyejoo jumped at the opportunity to see the latest Chucky movie. It did not matter how many times Chaewon protested. She still ended up here, in a squeaky theater chair, bowl of popcorn in her hands half empty from all the times she’s already jumped in response to the movie.

“You are such a scaredy-cat,” Hyejoo breathe-laughs into her hair, as Chaewon has taken to simply burrowing herself into Hyejoo’s shoulder. Chaewon lets out a noise caught between a whimper and a whine.

“I _told you_ I didn’t want to see this.”

She can’t see the screen but she can hear screams and then metallic slashing, and she flinches at the implications. Hyejoo jostles her a bit in order to wrap her arm around her body; Chaewon burrows a little closer.

“Don’t worry, _jagi_ ,” she throws back, a tad smug, “you’ve got a big bad wolf to protect you.”

Chaewon huffs a laugh. “That is not encouraging at all, as I know from personal experience how soft you actually are.”

“I’m sorry, which one of us can’t even look at the screen right now?” Hyejoo returns. When Chaewon peeks up at her, though, she’s looking right back – not at the screen at all.

“Just because I’m softer doesn’t mean you aren’t also soft,” she explains. Then another sound effect booms through the theater, and she squeezes her eyes closed in response. Hyejoo tightens her hold on her.

“If it came down to it, I would totally chop some heads off to protect you,” Hyejoo says quietly.

Logically, Chaewon knows that Hyejoo probably means it in the way that they are best friends who would do anything for each other, but if she looks at the other girl’s face it’ll be confirmed, so she simply tucks her head against Hyejoo’s neck – buries it in the sand – and mumbles, “Okay.”

-

One morning, Chaewon wakes from a deep, drool-inducing sleep to the excited squabbling of all eleven of her groupmates. She stumbles out of bed with hair she knows is bordering on a bird’s nest and squints out at them the second she opens her door.

“What’s going on?” she asks, and Jungeun points threateningly at her with chopsticks in response.

“You’re lucky you had Hyejoo to advocate for you, because usually the rule is that you don’t get food if you’re not even awake,” she says tersely. Chaewon’s bewildered gaze snaps to the younger girl, who is sitting on the couch with her head buried in a takeout carton and her mouth full of rice cakes. After an audible swallow, she meets Chaewon’s eyes.

“You were out cold, but we went for tteokbokki and I know it’s your favorite,” she says by way of explanation. Then she casually returns to her food.

Chaewon feels a little dazed, a fond smile overtaking her features as she watches Hyejoo eat. After a moment, Sooyoung bumps her hip on the way to an armchair and causes Chaewon to stumble a bit. When she glares at her, cross, Sooyoung is already in her seat.

“You stood there like a zombie for too long and now you’re the goose,” she explains, swinging her legs over one arm and relaxing back against the other. “The goose” is how they’ve come to refer to the odd man out, as there are only enough seats in their common room for eleven people to sit at once. One person usually ends up on the ground, the goose among ducks.

Chaewon takes in the full dining table, couch, and armchair silently. Takes in Heejin feeding Hyunjin something off her chopsticks, Sooyoung poking Jiwoo’s shoulder with her toe and pretending she doesn’t realize. When her eyes land on Hyejoo again, the corner of her lip tugs up as an idea occurs to her.

Primly, she locates the last carton of food and a pair of chopsticks, pointedly ignoring Sooyoung’s expectant gaze. Then she makes her way over to Hyejoo and bats the girl’s chopstick-hand away from her carton-hand so that she can settle into her lap.

As with their frequent handholding, this too is something she and Hyejoo do all the time. It didn’t seem like a regrettable idea until she actually sat there, entirely too aware of Hyejoo’s breath fanning against her neck, and saw Sooyoung’s eyes widen. She freezes, heart seizing, resolving in a state of icy panic that she’ll tell the truth about their dating practice if Sooyoung happens to ask, when-

Sooyoung starts laughing.

“I guess that’s one way to outsmart the goose,” she shrugs, and then she’s eating and Hyejoo is trying to figure out how to maneuver her food into her mouth around Chaewon’s body and maybe things are more normal than Chaewon is giving them credit for. Maybe she needs to stop reading into everything.

-

The next day, Chaewon is once more rudely awoken by loud noises. This time, however, it is the steady stream of a song being blasted in her room. Right next to her feet. Entirely too close to her ears. “Hawaiian Couple Song,” to be exact.

She groans and rolls over, burrowing her head into her pillow. “What have I done to deserve this?” she whines, loud enough to be understood through the muffle.

She hears Hyejoo laughing mischievously from the same direction as the song.

“I let you sleep in and still brought you food _and_ let you use me as a chair yesterday, so I think I’ve earned the right,” she explains. When Chaewon rolls to her side and blinks at her, she launches herself onto the bed and kicks away a plushie or two to make herself comfortable.

“And why is it this song?”

“Because I’m bored, it came up on shuffle, I always think of you when I hear it, and _I’m bored_ ,” she emphasizes. “Everyone’s gone; let’s practice.”

“ _Sexy, sexy, your collarbone’s sexy_?” Chaewon quotes skeptically. Hyejoo reddens.

“Obviously not that part; yours is boney.”

Chaewon shoves at Hyejoo’s shoulder and the other girl laughs at her crinkled eyebrows.

“Hey, are you wearing one of my shirts?” Hyejoo asks suddenly, surprise pitching her voice up. It’s Chaewon’s turn to redden.

“I-I like bigger shirts to sleep in and it was just laying around,” she defends, but the truth of the matter is that it was soft and warm and it smelt like Hyejoo. Said girl’s lips twitch, eyes soft, and she seems to accept that answer at face value, so Chaewon doesn’t read into what her facial expression means either.

“So… practice?” Hyejoo prompts.

Chaewon thinks about getting up, but her bones feel like lead and she’s already sinking back into her sheets, so she curls a fist into Hyejoo’s shirt instead.

“Can we practice here so I don’t have to leave my bed?” she asks drowsily. There is a moment of palpable stillness before Hyejoo is scooting closer, wrapping Chaewon up in her arms.

“You mean you want to cuddle,” Hyejoo corrects matter-of-factly. All Chaewon can do is sigh contentedly and bury her nose in her best friend’s not-boney collarbone.

-

Their next practice date is a big one, a special one, because they’ve been doing this fake-dating thing for a couple of months now and this is the first time they’ll be in a congested space, surrounded by swaths of bodies. The first time they’ll actually have to be a bit careful, as the brains in those bodies would undoubtedly be judgmental.

Because as it just so happens, they’re going to Lotte World.

The moment they make the decision, Chaewon is buzzing with anticipatory, anxious energy. It makes it difficult for her to sleep the night before, and Hyejoo has to practically drag her out of bed in the morning with promises of cotton candy and hot dogs.

Lotte World itself is incredibly overwhelming, and not just because they get shoved by a stranger not even 15 feet into the amusement park. There are bright colors and lights and statues of humanoid animals everywhere, cacophonous screeches from parkgoers and rollercoasters on tracks alike. Hyejoo walks closely to Chaewon, their shoulders bumping in lieu of holding hands. She looks concerned and that alone makes Chaewon smile reassuringly back.

On the way to their first ride, they pass a cluster of booths with carnival games and giant plushies for prizes. Chaewon is immediately mesmerized, and even moreso when she spots a gray wolf that is at least half her size.

“Look, Hyejoo-ah!” she points, grinning, “It’s you!!!”

Hyejoo laughs. “I’m much better looking.”

Though she tries not to, Chaewon laughs as well, but not before swatting at Hyejoo’s arm.

-

The thing about Chaewon, nonsensical or not, is that no rollercoaster will ever scare her half as much as the Viking ship ride. Something about hanging upside down for a suspended period of time is just completely unappealing to her.

The thing about Hyejoo, nonsensical or not, is that the Viking ship ride is her favorite. Which means Chaewon is standing in line for the Viking ship ride.

She tries not to shake or let the anxiety show on her face, but Hyejoo sees right through her.

“I can ride it without you,” she offers, but she’s kind of laughing and Chaewon knows if she takes her up on it that she’ll never stop teasing her about it.

“No, I can handle it,” she insists resolutely.

“Okayyyyyy,” Hyejoo says, elongating the word until the attendant opens the gate and it’s their turn to shuffle in.

It’s not until the ride is already starting up that the anxiety crawls back, full-force, and Chaewon’s heart feels like it’s lodged in her throat.

 _Breathe_ , she tells herself. _Think about something else._

And that’s when her eyes catch on Hyejoo, childish grin on her face and her hands already in the air. Chaewon decides to watch her instead of the shifting world around them, cataloguing the younger girl’s delighted giggle, the twinkle in her eye when she checks on Chaewon, the way her hair gets tousled by the wind and ride alike.

Before she knows it, the ride is done and Hyejoo is looking her over.

“Did you have fun?” she asks, and it’s like Chaewon’s brain finally clicks into place. Hyejoo knows how to have fun. She knows how to switch between their friendship and their fake relationship seamlessly because she’s enjoying herself, because she’s compartmentalizing and not worrying about the implications of anything. Chaewon doesn’t just need to stop herself from reading too deeply; she needs to _start_ having more fun with it.

“Yes,” she smiles, finally, and resolves to mean it.

-

They pass the carnival booths again on their way to the next ride, only this time, Hyejoo pulls Chaewon to a stop with a hand on her wrist.

“Bet I can beat you at the ping pong ball toss,” she challenges, that mischievous look on her face that always sparks up when she’s feeling competitive.

Chaewon knows that Hyejoo is probably right, but she agrees anyway. She’s never been one to turn down one of Hyejoo’s bets.

When they’ve each got three ping pong balls from the attendant, Hyejoo turns towards her expectantly. “You first,” she insists.

“Why do I have to go first?” Chaewon whines, eyebrows pulling together. Hyejoo pokes where they meet with her index finger.

“So that I can be the grand finish, obviously,” Hyejoo says.

Chaewon simply rolls her eyes, turning towards the game. “You’re too cocky,” she returns, and then promptly bounces her ball into the long box at the bottom labeled “zero.”

“It’s not arrogance if it’s founded,” Hyejoo grins, bouncing her own ball into a “two” box. “And that’s just the warmup.”

In the end, the best Chaewon manages is a “three,” which she feels pretty good about right up until Hyejoo lands hers into the prized “five” on her last turn. Chaewon pouts, and Hyejoo laughs at it while cheering for herself. The attendant, a scrawny boy with messy hair, fakes enthusiasm and points up towards all the giant plushies.

It’s no surprise when Hyejoo selects the wolf that Chaewon had pointed out earlier.

It _is_ a surprise when she promptly turns toward Chaewon and holds it out.

“For you,” she says, and before Chaewon can be too taken with how bashful she looks, she adds, “So you don’t have to miss me too much when I’m not around.”

“I would roll my eyes again, but I’m too scared they’re gonna get stuck like that,” Chaewon teases, fully aware that her smile is massive and goofy as she snatches up the wolf. It’s heavier than she expected, and she almost drops it before she gets a chance to examine its delicate fur and piercing blue eyes.

Hyejoo’s own eyes are soft again, and because Chaewon is committed to her new resolution to simply enjoy their pretend relationship, she rises up on tiptoes and kisses Hyejoo’s cheek. Booth attendant be damned, there’s that livewire spark where their skin meets. When she pulls away, Hyejoo’s face is beet red.

“Thank you, jagi,” Chaewon whispers. Hyejoo coughs into her fist.

“Um, you’re welcome,” she says, straightening her posture. “Ready to ride something else?”

-

It takes about five minutes for Hyejoo to realize Chaewon might actually fall over if she continues to try to carry the wolf, and so the younger but stronger girl takes over plushy duty for the rest of the day. They have to leave it on the loading platform whenever they get on a ride, but Chaewon doesn’t mind because she knows at the end of the day that that plushy is ending up on her bed right where it belongs.

“You’re gonna put it on your bed after it’s been on the ground all day long?” Hyejoo asks, face scrunched as she follows Chaewon’s gaze to the plushy now. She’s in the process of getting into their next ride, a bobsled-style coaster with authentically designed cars. As such, she’ll be sitting behind Chaewon and Chaewon will have to tuck herself between her legs. The thought of it has Chaewon’s stomach flipping and fluttering.

“I could wash it first, I guess,” Chaewon says, biting her lip as she follows Hyejoo into their car. It’s a little awkward, to be honest, but she shifts around until she’s comfortable. As soon as she stops moving, Hyejoo’s legs press in around her body. She imagines she turns as red as Hyejoo did when she kissed her cheek.

And the thing is… Chaewon liked kissing Hyejoo’s cheek. She even likes this, strange as it may be, because Hyejoo’s warmth is comforting and knowing that Hyejoo can completely envelop her with her larger body makes her blood hum.

This is fun, she decides, and it gives her an idea for something else that could be fun, too.

-

The idea seems great until they’re actually on a dimly lit boat ride, finally just the two of them, and Chaewon’s old friend anxiety comes creeping back once again. It’s times like these when she wishes she could shut her brain off and simply blurt things out like she did when this whole fake relationship first started.

 _She’ll just say “no” if she doesn’t want to_ , she tells herself. _You have nothing to lose here; it’s all practice._

Hyejoo lets out an audible sigh, abruptly breaking up her thoughts. “Alright, you look worried again. Are you scared of the dark now, too?” she teases in an attempt to lighten Chaewon up. It works, but only slightly.

“I, uh… I had an idea,” Chaewon starts, wringing her hands. Hyejoo watches her patiently. “In… in real relationships, there’s usually kissing involved…” She trails off then, slowly losing her nerve but shooting Hyejoo a prodding look all the same.

Hyejoo’s lips twitch. “If you want me to kiss you, you can just say it.”

“That’s not-“ Chaewon starts, defensiveness bubbling up and her eyebrows pulling together. She tries again: “I only meant-“

But this time, her thought is cut off not by her inarticulate mouth but by _Hyejoo’s_ mouth abruptly covering her own. Somewhere along the way Hyejoo had pinched Chaewon’s chin between her thumb and forefinger and used that hold to tip her head up.

There’s no other way to describe it: Chaewon _melts_. Hyejoo’s kiss is soft but firm, caring but eager. Chaewon matches her the best she can, but she feels almost sluggish, drunk on this new experience that she’s already enamored with.

When Hyejoo pulls back, her eyes stay shut for a moment and Chaewon takes the opportunity to drink her in. Her lips are glistening, pink from their kiss.

Hyejoo’s eyes blink open.

“Fun?” she asks, and Chaewon giggles like a schoolgirl.

-

Despite the circumstances, or maybe in spite of them, Hyejoo latches onto Chaewon’s index finger after they exit the ride. They’d held hands for the duration of it after their kiss, though Chaewon had expected Hyejoo to drop her hand the moment they stepped back into the sunlight.

It is Hyejoo’s decision to be bold that gives Chaewon the confidence to pull her into an alcove between one of the statues and a tall shrub.

“What?” Hyejoo breathe-laughs, but Chaewon only bats her eyelashes and looks up at the other girl imploringly. Hyejoo’s eyes spark when she catches on, and then she’s pressing another brief, sweet kiss into Chaewon’s lips.

The warmth that spreads in her chest is something she could easily become addicted to.

-

They don’t get to kiss very often, ultimately, but that’s not for lack of trying. The problem is that the moment the high of the first time wore off, the moment they stepped back into the dorm with faces red from sunburn and guilt, their fake relationship morphed into something that felt like it needed to be kept secret. Not that they weren’t carrying on without telling anyone before, but lately it feels like they’re putting forth extra effort to remain guarded.

Which means they can only kiss in private, when they’re completely alone.

Which mean they very rarely kiss, because they are very rarely completely alone.

They make do in small moments they’ve learned to carve out for each other: Hyejoo running back to kiss Chaewon goodbye on her way to school when the blonde is the only one still in bed, Chaewon pulling Hyejoo aside during a dance practice break when the other girls have scattered, a lingering end to a pretend date before they duck back inside.

Still, they sometimes go days without so much as a peck, and today is one of those days.

It leaves Chaewon feeling almost itchy in her skin when she’s near Hyejoo, like her instincts pull her to reach out and she has to tamp them down awkwardly. It doesn’t help that Hyejoo seeks her out in between dance routines, a slight smirk tilting her mouth.

“I like how you did your top,” she says, indicating the makeshift crop-top Chaewon has formed by tying her shirt up and tucking the knot inside. Then Hyejoo holds up a rubber band. “Will you do mine the same?”

Chaewon exhales shakily. If Hyejoo notices, her smirk only deepens. “Uh, yeah, sure.”

She snatches the rubber band from Hyejoo, jostling the younger girl to face away with little shoves at her shoulders. Then she makes quick and prim work of tying up Hyejoo’s shirt and doesn’t linger at all, not even when tucking the knot in, not even when checking that the fold is even.

Hyejoo still catches her hand for a second, still traces the pads of her fingers briefly before turning around like nothing happened. As it is, none of the other girls have taken any notice.

Chaewon gulps, because Hyejoo’s looking at her the same way she always does before she kisses her.

“Thanks,” Hyejoo says quietly, and then walks back to her starting point.

-

They catch Sooyoung and Jiwoo kissing on the dorm couch later that afternoon, having gotten back together at… some point, possibly even within the last five minutes. And because Chaewon and Hyejoo have never turned down an opportunity to mock any of their unnies, their kneejerk reactions are a chorus of “Ewwwwww!”

The two older girls split apart instantaneously.

“Get a room,” Hyejoo gags. Chaewon grips onto her forearm in solidarity.

“We _had_ a room.” Sooyoung rolls her eyes, launching herself off of the couch, and Jiwoo scampers about a bit in discombobulation before joining her.

Hyejoo must realize what that means at the exact same moment that Chaewon does, because their gazes snap together all at once. That telltale spark is back in Hyejoo’s eye.

“Yes, well, we’re gonna play video games now and you know how competitive I get…” Hyejoo trails off.

Chaewon fills in the blank: “Lots of yelling. Lots of cursing. Very unromantic.”

Before Sooyoung can manifest a literal storm cloud above her head, Jiwoo tugs her girlfriend towards the front door. “You know what? That’s fine,” she smiles, shooting an encouraging look towards Sooyoung, “We have our own spot, don’t we, honey?”

Though grumbling all the way, Sooyoung allows herself to be dragged out of the dorm.

Hyejoo rounds on Chaewon the moment the door clicks shut.

“I was thinking-“ she starts, but is effectively cut off by Chaewon’s successfully landed kiss.

“-if we _were_ together-“

Another quick kiss as Chaewon rises on tiptoe and tangles their fingers together, butterflies in her stomach.

“-I might kiss you a bit differently,” she finishes. It’s Chaewon’s turn to pause as she rocks back on her heels. Hyejoo is watching her with a mixture of trepidation and fond excitement, the start of something determined broiling in her eyes.

Heart galloping, Chaewon looks up from under her lashes. “Like how?” she prompts delicately.

The moment she tips her chin upwards, Hyejoo takes it for the signal it is.

This time, Hyejoo kisses her like a girlfriend would, deep with intention, with the swipe of her tongue, and Chaewon is too dazed to realize she’s been backed against a wall.

Her brain clocks out, registering only Hyejoo’s hands in her hair and kiss on her lips, and this is trouble like Chaewon’s never known.

-

Admittedly, things devolve after that.

It’s just that it’s a bit difficult to concentrate on studying Japanese, or learning the next routine, or hiding their fake relationship, or much of anything, really, when Hyejoo kisses her like that at every chance, when Chaewon _wants_ her to.

They almost get caught about a thousand times, stumbling out of the bathroom or jumping apart at the dining room table, and the possibility of it nags at the back of Chaewon’s mind like a parasite. It’s practically divine intervention when they find out they’ll be traveling to Iceland and France together, accompanied by a gaggle of BBC staff members at all times.

-

“We should probably cool it for the trip,” Chaewon says, voice pitched low as if there’s a chance the chatting girls in the common room will overhear. As it is, Chaewon and Hyejoo are sprawled out on Hyejoo’s bed, heads on opposite ends as they play on their DS and Switch respectively.

Hyejoo lets out a sigh, though Chaewon can’t tell if it’s because of the topic of conversation or because she’s made a mistake in her game. “We probably should,” she affirms.

“It would be a lot worse to be caught by a manager-nim than one of the other girls,” Chaewon continues. Nonsensically, she feels like she needs to justify the situation, like she owes Hyejoo an explanation. Like they’re taking a real break.

“Yeah,” Hyejoo says. The air seems heavy.

“Um, so… yeah,” Chaewon finishes lamely.

Hyejoo doesn’t say anything else, just pounds away at her Switch, so Chaewon doesn’t say anything more either. The whole thing was surprisingly easy, really.

She feels relieved. She feels dreadful.

-

The plane ride to Iceland is… interesting, to say the least.

Chaewon has to remind herself repeatedly that she can’t just hold Hyejoo’s hand, that she can’t just lean her head against the younger girl’s shoulder, that she _definitely_ can’t kiss her in thanks when she wordlessly offers to share her chips.

What she _can_ do is look, and she spends a good hour doing just that when Hyejoo falls asleep near the end of the flight. A displaced strand of hair slowly slides down during that time until it bisects Hyejoo’s eye and the corner of her mouth.

Though she feels a bit jumpy while she does it, Chaewon covertly tucks it back behind Hyejoo’s ear.

If she lingers a bit with her fingertips grazing Hyejoo’s cheek, well, she’s the only one that has to know that.

-

It is as the hotel staff are loading their suitcases and equipment onto a luggage cart that their lead manager-nim decides she’d like to drop a bombshell.

“They only had four available rooms and they’re all singles so you two will be sharing a bed, okay?” She doesn’t even look up from her clipboard.

Chaewon stops in her tracks. Hyejoo shoots her a look.

“I don’t care,” Hyejoo shrugs coolly, playing the awkward beat off.

Call it a defense mechanism, Chaewon chuckles nervously. “Uh, of course that’s fine,” she says.

Hyejoo shakes her head at her, but the set of her mouth betrays that she’s holding back a laugh.

-

Side by side, Chaewon and Hyejoo lay in their hotel bed in Iceland, two feet of frosty air between them. Chaewon rolls to one side, away from Hyejoo; Hyejoo sighs loudly, still on her back. Neither seem capable of escaping into the respite of sleep.

Finally, Chaewon hears Hyejoo shuffle among crinkling sheets.

“Wanna just practice?” she asks.

Chaewon is stunned enough to turn towards her suddenly.

With wide, guileless eyes, she replies, “Now?”

Hyejoo shrugs. “We’re alone, aren’t we?” Then, “If you want to.”

Though she’s aiming for nonchalance, there is an air of anxiousness about the way she hesitantly meets Chaewon’s eyes. They have never before practiced like this: in the dead of night, with absolutely no one to possibly interrupt them, laying together in a _bed_. Chaewon can only swallow and nod.

They meet halfway, Hyejoo reaching for Chaewon’s waist at the same moment Chaewon curls a fist into Hyejoo’s sleep shirt. When their lips meet, there is the familiar swoop in Chaewon’s stomach, a neediness that pushes her to kiss Hyejoo more insistently.

Hyejoo, for her part, is frustratingly slow and deliberate, her mouth lingering on Chaewon’s lower lip before sliding towards the upper. Chaewon can only abide by it for so long before she becomes bereft, overcome with the rushing of blood in her veins.

“Hyej-“ she starts to whine, fed up, kicking her legs out, and then Hyejoo is licking into her mouth like she was waiting for this. She hauls Chaewon closer with a sure grip at the small of her back, and suddenly Chaewon is only whining lowly into Hyejoo’s mouth.

They stay that way for hours, Chaewon losing track of time in the intoxication of it all until she’s melting and yawning between kisses. Finally, Hyejoo pulls Chaewon into a snuggle by the back of her neck and wraps herself around the smaller girl.

Within minutes, Chaewon is floating into a warm, dreamless sleep.

-

She wakes up with a realization.

The way she feels when Hyejoo kisses her, like the whole world has zeroed in on this one person and she’s pouring a bit of her soul into them, is like nothing she’s ever experienced before. There are traces of the same warmth and comfortability that Hyejoo has always brought Chaewon, of course, but it’s amplified, transformed, a hummingbird taking flight in her chest.

She almost can’t imagine it with anyone else.

She almost doubts it could ever feel the same.

-

For the rest of the day, Chaewon carries this new ponderance like a living thing. It crawls under her skin, makes her shy away from Hyejoo’s innocent touch as if it were a threat.

Hyejoo watches her curiously, concernedly, as she avoids holding hands or even hugging for warmth in front of the manager. She can tell that the younger girl will want an explanation later that night, but Chaewon hasn’t sorted out her feelings enough yet to have one.

-

(“Well, w-we agreed to cool it in front of the staff, right?” she’ll eventually stutter.

It works, as excuses go.)

-

Things are normal when they’re alone, easy and uncomplicated. Lately Hyejoo has taken to guiding her through The Last of Us, which mostly means that Hyejoo leans her head on Chaewon’s shoulder watchfully until a clicker starts clicking and then Chaewon chucks the controller into Hyejoo’s hands and covers her eyes.

They’re in the Hyejoo’s-head-on-Chaewon’s-shoulder phase when the door to their room slams open and Chaewon’s chest seizes, her entire body blanching so hard that it displaces Hyejoo.

There isn’t time to gauge her reaction before Jiwoo is merrily shouting.

“You guys won’t believe our luck!” she announces, practically pirouetting in glee. “Sooyoungie and I had plans to go mini-golfing just now but when we stopped for takeout the bag came with these _really delicious_ candies and a coupon with a discount for parties of four at the Fun Zone, like a really good discount, so-“

“You have until we finish our chicken nuggets to get ready to go mini-golfing,” Sooyoung finishes succinctly, possibly to prevent Jiwoo’s face from going purple with oxygen deprivation. The next moment, they’ve both ducked out of the room.

Chaewon’s gaze swivels to Hyejoo, who is already saving and exiting the game.

“We can drag our feet an extra ten minutes just to spite Sooyoung telling us what to do, but mini-golfing actually sounds kind of fun,” she says casually.

Chaewon doesn’t know how to verbalize the churn in her stomach just yet.

-

It is quiet as Chaewon processes, as the two get ready in their shared walk-in closet while facing in opposite directions. Chaewon hears fabric rustling, some frustrated grunts, and then Hyejoo is tapping her on the shoulder.

“Will you help me with this?” she asks, and when Chaewon turns around she finds the girl holding a crimpled black ribbon and indicating the popped collar of her dress shirt. Chaewon has long been one of the best bow-tiers in their group, having developed a skill during her solo days.

She makes quick work of it, focusing on the task rather than Hyejoo’s proximity, folding Hyejoo’s collar back over the finished product delicately, and then finally dragging her gaze to lock with Hyejoo’s.

“I think we should still hide the pretend relationship from Sooyoung and Jiwoo,” she says, only it sounds a bit drowned out when Hyejoo speaks at the very same moment;

“I think we should just tell Sooyoung and Jiwoo the truth.”

Hyejoo blinks. Chaewon gulps, heart stuttering uncomfortably. Her hands retract from their place on Hyejoo’s shoulders.

“You want to tell them?” she asks quietly.

Hyejoo’s voice is harder. “You don’t?”

Chaewon shakes her head and trains her eyes on the floor.

“Because that worked so well in Iceland, didn’t it?” Hyejoo scoffs.

“I just don’t really-“ Chaewon starts, not knowing how to finish. She pauses to take a deep breath. “I don’t know how they’d respond.”

“You don’t know how they, of all people, would respond?” Hyejoo’s eyebrows crinkle on her forehead, voice sharp and incredulous. She steps toward Chaewon and Chaewon instinctively steps away. The closet is starting to feel like a cage.

“Why are you acting like this?” she asks quietly, and it’s like the panic has been building all this time, since before Jiwoo’s announcement, since before the trip thrust them into an unfamiliar situation, maybe even since before Chaewon started questioning what everything Hyejoo did meant in this new context.

“Why are you-“ Hyejoo shoots back, voice still booming, and then the closet door slams open and Jiwoo’s grinning face is staring back at them obliviously.

“You guys ready?!”

Chaewon looks to Hyejoo, who avoids her gaze and stares at negative space.

The worst part of it all is that Chaewon knows the truth, deep down inside. Knows that what terrifies her more than repercussions from the managers, what possibility dwells in the lump in her throat, is having this thing with Hyejoo ripped out and examined any closer than she’s dared to do herself.

-

Chaewon can’t decide what’s worse: Hyejoo’s enduring silence and bare minimum participation, or Sooyoung and Jiwoo’s excessive physical contact and lovey-dove-isms. As things stand, this is the fifth consecutive time Jiwoo has insisted that she needs Sooyoung to show her how to swing a club and Sooyoung has happily obliged.

Chaewon looks to her partner in crime to wallow in their shared misery, but Hyejoo merely glances her way briefly and then looks away, twirling the club in her hand.

When it is Hyejoo’s turn once again, she does exactly as she’s been doing all night long: a reckless swing of her club, the barest acknowledgment of which way the ball’s heading, and a shrug regardless. This time, however, the swing is a little too aggressive and her ball goes flying. It lands with a series of quick bounces, heading straight towards a nearby pond, and maybe Chaewon’s just desperate to get out of here or maybe she’s itching for Hyejoo’s attention, but either way before she knows it she’s bolting after it.

“Wait!” Hyejoo calls, and it’s like a car crash in slow motion. She reaches for Chaewon’s wrist and Chaewon downright flinches at the brush of her fingers, unintentionally dodging away like a frightened animal. Hyejoo’s eyes darken, the set of her mouth pinching into a grimace. What Chaewon managed to get away with in Iceland has made a repeat appearance, and this time Chaewon knows the outcome won’t be the same.

She watches with a heavy gaze while Hyejoo excuses herself to the restroom.

-

She follows after her, of course. It takes about ten seconds for her body to catch up to her brain, and then she, too, is mumbling an excuse and heading towards the restroom.

She finds Hyejoo in the secluded hallway, and when she calls her name, the taller girl stops in her tracks. Though she turns around eventually, her face is a carefully concealed mask.

Chaewon launches herself at her anyways, burying her face in Hyejoo’s collarbone and breathing in the familiar, comforting scent as she gathers her courage.

When she pulls away, Hyejoo’s gaze is still steely. “I’m not really in the mood for the whole dirty little secret bathroom make-out thing right now, if you don’t mind.”

The vitriol behind her words catches Chaewon off guard. She stumbles backwards and scans Hyejoo’s mask for any cracks, wondering if she can trust the flash of hurt she thinks she sees when Hyejoo clenches her jaw.

“That’s not why I followed you,” Chaewon explains truthfully. She knows she’s pouting and her brows have scrunched together, and she can’t help it if she looks pleading.

Hyejoo bites at her cheek. “Why did you, then?” she challenges. Chaewon thinks maybe she looks a bit pleading as well.

“I-I hate just leaving it when you’re upset with me, and I,” she breathes, clutching her fists into Hyejoo’s jacket, feeling both frantic and heartfelt, “I’ve missed you tonight.”

A loud exhale sounds out from Hyejoo’s nostrils, and then her posture is collapsing in on Chaewon. Their foreheads meet as Hyejoo’s palms splay on Chaewon’s hips.

“You know you’re really hard to stay mad at?” she grumps.

Chaewon kisses the consternation off her face, kisses both her cheeks, and gazes up at her in a way she knows is transparently adoring and relieved. It makes Hyejoo study her, makes the strangest mixture of emotions blink across her face. She looks like she has something to say, like the weight of it has filled up her body and is shining out through her eyes, but then she simply squeezes them shut and kisses Chaewon meaningfully.

Chaewon wishes she could understand, but she doesn’t have it in her to push it tonight.

-

The next morning, Chaewon has an early dance practice with Sooyoung and, in a rare turn of events, Hyejoo is one of the last girls still asleep at the dorm. When Chaewon returns, Hyejoo is in the exact same position she left her, blankets bunched around her form so that only her relaxed face and drooped-open mouth are visible.

Chaewon decides to leave her that way and pours herself a bowl of cereal, munching thoughtfully as she stands in the tranquility of the kitchen. She’s not even half done with her bowl when Hyejoo emerges, hair a veritable bird’s nest and eyes blinking sleep away. She looks a bit stompy until she spots Chaewon and her features soften at the edges.

Chaewon, for her part, furrows her brows and pouts mockingly. “Oooh, grumpy face,” she teases.

Hyejoo greets her with a quick kiss that Chaewon then elongates by following her retreat, rising on her tip toes until her height is maximized. She can feel Hyejoo’s lips quirking upwards by the end and it makes her smile in turn.

“Were you guys just _kissing_?” she hears suddenly, and her head snaps toward a very confused Hyunjin sitting at the dining room table.

-

It is a combination of what happened the previous night and the knowledge that Hyunjin is the worst possible member of the group who could have caught them that pushes Chaewon to insist on being the one to talk to her. Allowing Hyejoo to do it feels too easy, and even worse, it feels like taking advantage. Chaewon is the one who insists on secrecy; it only seems right that she be the one to explain the situation. _Even if_ her relationship with Hyunjin is… lacking, to say the least.

She sits the other girl down on the couch, two feet of empty space between them.

“Um, so whatever you saw-“

“You and Hyejoo kissing.”

“-it’s not what it looks like,” she finishes, rushing to explain. Hyunjin raises her eyebrows at her.

“A few months ago, we decided to practice dating, you see, and kissing is just a byproduct of that!” she continues. “It’s just another thing that we practice now.”

If possible, Hyunjin’s eyebrows have migrated into her hairline. “What exactly does ‘practice dating’ entail?”

“Well, you know, we go on dates and hold hands and kiss, like you saw.” Then, because she’s rambling nervously and it just sort of bubbles forth, “Pretty much whenever we have free time, you know.”  
  
Hyunjin barks out a laugh. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” she gasps.

“What do you mean?” Chaewon snaps, face scrunched in offense.

“If you’re going on dates and holding hands and kissing, you’re dating,” Hyunjin deadpans. “Tacking a word in front of it doesn’t change anything.”

“No, you don’t understand-“ Chaewon starts, but Hyunjin’s patience for this conversation appears to have run out because she cuts her off.

“Listen, Ghost Bride,” she says. Chaewon clamps her mouth shut. “Maybe it’s easier to pretend that it’s fake and live in denial for your friendship or your own issues or whatever, but that’s just what it is: denial. I don’t need details or more than the fifteen seconds I saw to know that. So, I’ll cut to the chase: Is she the first thing you think about in the morning? Last thing before you fall asleep? Gives you butterflies and makes you happy, even brings you peace, right?”

Then, serious and quiet, “Most importantly, you can’t imagine being with anyone else… can you?”

For a long moment, Chaewon is silent as she contemplates the way Hyunjin has so succinctly and brutally laid her soul bare. It feels like she’s standing on the edge of a precipice, tipping this way and that, and though blood is rushing in her ears like howling wind and her heart is a bass drum in her chest, she knows which way she wants to fall.

In an impossibly small voice, she asks: “How did you know?” Afterwards, her chest loosens, and she takes the easiest breath she has in a while.

An expression that Chaewon has never seen on Hyunjin before softens the girl’s features, clouds her eyes dreamily. She seems to snap out of it after a moment. “Let’s just say I have some experience in that department,” she returns, and almost subconsciously glances towards the larger bedroom.

Chaewon doesn’t need to be a genius to know she means Heejin.

“She doesn’t deserve you pretending your feelings are different than they are,” Hyunjin continues unexpectedly, but with finality. “If you keep on like this, you’ll just push her away anyway.”

Chaewon gulps, already well aware of what she has to do.

-

She finds Hyejoo in their room, back against the wall and cross-legged on her bed as she watches some horror movie on the television. The younger girl’s eyes flitter between her and the screen as Chaewon settles next to her.

“How did it go?” she asks. Chaewon picks at her fingernails.

“It went, um… differently than I expected,” she chuckles nervously. Hyejoo shoots her a curious look before the movie pulls her gaze back.

Maybe it’s easier if Hyejoo _isn’t_ looking at her, Chaewon decides, and squeezes her eyes shut before taking the leap.

“I think we should date for real.”

When she opens her eyes, Hyejoo’s still staring at the screen. She’s also wearing a massive, megawatt smile, granted, but Chaewon’s words haven’t even turned her head.

“Cool,” she says cheekily, and it tips Chaewon over into defensiveness.

“Cool?” she practically shrieks. “Is that all?”

“Chae, we’ve been dating for real the whole time,” Hyejoo states. Now that she’s looking at her, mischievous spark in her eye and a smirk pulling at her lips, Chaewon wishes she wouldn’t. Her stomach shudders.

“Why didn’t you say anything?”

There must be something in the way her voice sounds like porcelain that makes Hyejoo realize she needs more, because suddenly the girl is sighing and pausing her movie and turning fully towards Chaewon. She chews on her lower lip while staring at her lap for a moment.

“When you first suggested the whole practice dating thing, I thought… I thought it was my chance, you know? That I could show you how we’d be together,” she pauses as Chaewon studies the pink of her face frantically, pieces of the puzzle slotting into place, “For a while I kind of thought we were on the same page and it was just unspoken but then… I realized you needed more time to figure it out.”

Chaewon’s hand slides into Hyejoo’s, and Hyejoo squeezes before letting out a breath.

“I guess I got a bit frustrated towards the end,” she admits, lips twitching as she meets Chaewon’s eyes.

There is a great warmth expanding in Chaewon’s chest, contentment and excitement in equal measure, and she grins unabashedly before she’s pulling Hyejoo’s head down and pressing that grin into the other girl’s mouth.

“You are an annoyingly good girlfriend,” Chaewon murmurs when they separate. Hyejoo’s eyes twinkle.

“Our anniversary is March 16th, by the way,” she boasts.

Chaewon kisses her again to shut her up.

**Author's Note:**

> A WILD HYUNJIN APPEARED
> 
> chaewon: i wanna date for real  
> hyejoo: NEWSFLASH, ASSHOLE! IT'S BEEN REAL THE ENTIRE GODDAMN TIME
> 
> (also thank you for reading and please leave kudos/comments if you enjoyed and if you wanna hmu on twitter my user there is @roguefembot as well :D)


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